LAPD study reveals grim police chase trend

LOS ANGELES - New study sheds light on a grim pattern for innocent bystanders when it comes to police chases happening in the Los Angeles area.

The study, requested by the Board of Police Commissioners and data shared by the Los Angeles Police Department, reveals bystanders make up nearly half of the car chase injuries involving LAPD.

Total number of police chases involving LAPD: 4,203 between 2018 and April 2023.

In the study, LAPD had picked up more than 4,200 police chases from 2018 to 2023. Of the 4,200-plus chases, nearly 1,600 resulted in a crash. [NOTE: For exact figures, check out the study's data below.]

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Innocent people continue to fall victim to deadly police chases across Southern California

Of the police chases turned crashes, 1,032 (25% of the chases) resulted in an injury or death. Forty-nine percent of the crashes resulting in injuries involved a third-party victim – meaning bystanders who had nothing to do with the car chase.

According to the breakdown, nearly 500 of the crashes involved innocent bystanders.

The study also revealed that the average speed during LAPD car chases was about 46 mph. The highest percentage of crashes at 64% happened when chases reached between 41 and 80 mph.

The average distance covered by an LAPD pursuit was about 4.71 miles, with 53% of pursuits covering less than two miles. Approximately 54% of pursuits resulting in traffic collisions occurred when pursuits were less than two miles.

LAPD Air Support assisted 1,575 times, or 38%, before, during or as a pursuit ended.

Below is a copy of LAPD's study: